Punching bag support or stand



May 5, 1970 M. GARDNER l 3,5105131 PuNcHme BAG suPPoRT on STAND Filed Feb. 19. 1968 INVENTOR.

E55 BY 1511/ 1 "f saL //s/Mo United States Patent O 3,510,131 PUNCHING BAG SUPPORT OR STAND Monroe Gardner, 3410 Club Drive, Apt. 4, Los Angeles, Calif. 90664 Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,522 Int. Cl. A63b 69/22 U.S. Cl. 272--78 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A punching bag support or stand mounted on a platform means on which the user stands, resultantly anchoring the punching bag support to the floor and suspending the bag overhead. The stand is characterized by being formed presently of two lengths of tubing or pipe bent to have parallel, telescoping ends which are adjustable longitudinally to vary the elevation of the bag relative to the platform on which the user stands. Bolts or other fastening means secure the tubing elements in vertically adjustable position and may be simultaneously employed as part of the means to secure cross brace means for stiffening the structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The field of the invention is that of punching bag supports generally classified in Class 272-78.

Prior art Prior art known to applicant comprises Pats. 1,032,139, 2,009,040', 2,143,691, 2,625,356 and 2,659,603.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Punching bag supports for adult use have generally required some type of wall or ceiling supported bracket means, generally in the form of a permanently installed apparatus. Other arrangements have been generally unstable structurally, subject to wear and breakage, heavy and costly to manufacture and ship. The present invention proposes and has for its principal objective the provision of a punching bag support that may be used practically anywhere since it is completely self-contained. It employs a frame structure having a generally horizontal lower platform, a vertically adjustable framework rising therefrom and carries a horizontal bracket portion overhanging the lower portion and is provided with attaching means for a punching bag. A platform on the lower portion provides support for the user whose weight serves to anchor the apparatus to the floor or other surface on which it is being used. The construction is durable, sturdy, simple, versatile, economical and provides performance equal to or better than wall mounted units. The construction makes possible the packaging of all of the component parts in a package leaving the assembly to the purchaser with resultant economy both in manufacture and in the resulting cost of the purchaser. Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings which form a part of the specification of said embodiment following and in said draw- 1ngs:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention as viewed from the left hand side of FIG. 2;

3,510,131 Patented May 5, 1970 ice DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a frame structure formed primarily of bent tubing (or pipes with joints) and comprising a base portion 1 and a bracket portion 2. The base portion 1 is formed of a length of tubing which is first bent into a modified U-shape comprising an end 3 and spaced parallel limb portions 4, 4. The limb portions 4, 4 are thereafter bent at right angles as at 5 to give the base portion an L-shape as viewed in side edge configuration as best shown in FIG. 1.

The end portion 3 and tube portions 6, 6 of the limb portion 4, 4 'between said end and the bends 5, 5 from the floor engaging surface, a platform 7 is secured and the floor engaging surface adjacent to the bend 3 by any appropriate means as, for example, angle brackets 8 secured to the tube portions 6, 6 by bolts 9, 9 and screws 10 extending through the horizontal limbs of the angle brackets and threadedly engaging the underside of the platform.

A pair of horizontal cross bolts 11, 11 extend through the tube portions 6, 6 adjacent to the bends 5, 5 and serve to secure one end of each of a pair of braces 12, 12 to the side surfaces of the two portions. The braces then extend diagonally upward and terminate in right angle bent upper end portions 13, 13. The end portions 13, 13 lie across the front sides of the vertically extending end portions 14, 14 of the base member tubing somewhat above the bends 5, 5. The bolts 15, 15 extend through the upper end portions 13, 13 of the braces 12, 12 and the tubes to secure the braces 12, 12 to the tubes and also to secure the lower ends of a pair of cross brace members 16, 16 thereto. The cross brace members comprises metal bars which extend diagonally convergingly upward, cross each other and are secured to the upper opposite ends of the tube by cross bolts 17, 17. At their point of intersection, the brace members 16, 16 are interconnected by a bolt 18.

The bracket portion 2 is formed of a length of tubing bent first into a U-shape and thence into L-shape generally the same as the base member 1 but is -formed from a slightly smaller diameter of tubing having a close sliding lit with the interior of the vertical end portions 14, 14 of base member 1. Specically, the support or bracket portion 2 comprises an end portion 19 parallel horizontal runs 20, 20 extending therefrom of less length than the portions 6, 6 of the base member and terminating in vertical depending end or leg portions 21, 21 telescopically received in the base member tubing ends 14, 14. Preferably, the end portions are provided with horizontally opposite pairs of parallel holes 22, 22 disposed to be in alignment with the holes for bolt 17, 17, the bolts 17, 17 in addition to anchoring the upper ends of the braces 16, 16 which hold the tubing ends in a spaced parallel vertical relation to each other, may also be employed to secure the bracket portion 2 in a desired vertical adjustment on the base 1. For convenience in effecting adjustment, the bolts 17, 17 may be supplied with thumb nuts 23.

A board 24 is secured to the under faces of the runs 20, 20 by any suitable means as, for example, bolts 25 and a punching bag P may be suspended therefrom byan appropriate hanger H.

Thus, there has been provided a punching bag support or hanger means which does not require permanent installation on a Wall or the like and which can be used in any location where a suitable supporting floor or surface exists. Notwithstanding, the device is free standing e.g. unattached to a permanent structure) it is substantially rigid and gives the same or better performance than one attached to a wall. The apparatus is composed of lfew parts of such a simple lightweight design that any requirement for special tooling is kept at an absolute minimum. The assembly includes no part that is subject to la great deal of wear. Moreover, because of the simple design, the apparatus need not be assembled as an incident to manufacture and can be supplied in kit form with resultant saving in both manufacturing cost and in the cost to the purchaser. An important incident to the simplicity in design is the fact that certain of the connecting bolts serve a plurality of functions.

When the device is not in use, it can be readily dismantled or readily moved without dismantling to a place of storage.

While the foregoing specification has disclosed a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, such disclosure will be understood to have been by way of example, Wherefore, it will also be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and modifications in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims. For example, the U-shape members, in telescoping relationship may have their end portion omitted and would then be interconnected only by the platform or the member that directly supports the punching bag. This has proven more than satisfactory in certain embodiments. It does not, however, tend to weaken the overall strength of the device. It is also possible and in some cases desirable to employ tubing for the bracing members.

I claim:

1. A punching bag supporting means comprising:

a platform upon which a user may stand;

a punching bag supporting bracket disposed above and overhanging said platform having means in the center thereof for supporting a punching bag; and

a supporting framework comprising:

a rst frame member supporting said platform and including a vertically disposed structure beyond an edge of said platform; and

a second frame member constituting said bracket having a vertically disposed portion telescopically coupled to said vertical structure associated with said platform wherein said rst and second frame members each constitute a length of tubing bent into a U-shape conguration and then bent respectively into upright and inverted L- shape configuration, in which the ends of said lengths of tubing are parallel to each other and are laterally equally spaced from each other, and in which the ends of one of said frame members is slidingly telescopically received in the ends of the other said frame members; and

means operable to interconnect said vertically disposed bracket portion and said vertical structure associated with said platform at a selected one of a plurality of predetermined vertical elevations relative to said platform.

2. A punching bag supporting means as claimed in claim 1 in which said first frame member includes reinforcing angled braces which bridge the bends between the platform supporting and vertical portions thereof and other braces maintaining the end portions of said tubing parallel to one another, in which fastening means extending through said tubing secure said brackets to said tubing, and in which certain of said fastening means simultaneously secure both said angle reinforcing braces and said parallelism maintaining braces to said tubing.

3. A punching bag supporting means as claimed in claim 1 in which the ends of the tubing forming said second frame member are provided with laterally parallel, vertically spaced pairs of holes, in which the upper ends, of said end portions of said rst frame member is provided with a pair of holes complementary to the pairs of holes in said second frame member, and in which a pair of fastening means is operable to extend through said holes in said rst frame member and a selected one of said pairs of holes in said second frame member to dispose a punching bag depending from said bracket portion of said second frame member at an elevation desired by the user.

4. A punching bag supporting means 4as claimed in claim 3 in which said vertical portion of said first frame member includes cross-brace means, and in which said pair of bolts for interconnecting said frame member also serves as part of the means for securing said cross-brace means to the interengaged ends of said frame members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 775,653 11/1904 Held 272-78 2,659,603 ll/ 1953 Glasser 272-78 3,030,109 4/ 1962 Albitz 272-78 3,411,497 1l/l968 Rickey 272-78 FOREIGN PATENTS 625,717 4/ 1927 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner R. W. DIAZ, JR., Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 248-161, 163 

